Hey. Head Doctor will be back soon. Can you wait outside?" Dr. Kael said quickly.
"Alright." She didn't resist and stepped out. Even with their clearance, there were things they weren't allowed to know.
"You won't tell me?" Eiran asked again. "You're afraid of me!" he added.
"Ah. Well... it's not like that. It's... just..." the man stammered.
"Apologies. I should not have scared you. I think that is bad!" This sentence was the last thing Dr. Kael heard before the weight of the baby's presence in his body lifted.
A wash of relief covered Dr. Kael as he prayed the Head Doctor would return quickly. He didn't want to nurse an unknown monster.
The doctor sat down, and after about half a minute, he felt bad about the way he had reacted. It was as if he had lost something within him—a sensation that his blood craved but was now gone.
He glanced at the sleeping baby, then shook his head. He shouldn't seek things he didn't understand.
Two hours passed just like that. By now, his mood was very low, and the craving had returned. *He's alterborne—being strange is part of his reality. Argh. I'm stupid. What if he was someone special, one who can bless people?*
Dr. Kael leaned back in his chair and thought, *His voice is soothing and...* He stood and walked forward.
Eiran was awake but hyperactive. "He drifted through the nutrient tube, a glass cylinder large enough to hold a man, yet he looked like a drifting mote—too small for the power he seemed to hold.
Now he swam around, reaching the glass and pushing off with his stumps before reaching the other side. The long pipe connected to a clear mask was flexible, not hindering his movements.
"Hey, Eiran. Sorry I reacted negatively. I've had bad experiences with Morphing Talents."
The baby didn't react to him. He only laughed before swimming around again.
"Are you listening to me?" Dr. Kael tried again, but the baby only banged his head against the glass, pushed to the other side, and banged again.
"Are you upset with me?" Dr. Kael said, then froze and looked back at Dr. Miranda, who had come inside again.
"Hey, Dr. Kael. How are you?" she said, finding a place to sit while staring at the baby.
Dr. Kael frowned. He had just told her to leave, and now she was back. "Why are you back?" he asked.
"Ah. It's my time to be here, remember?" Her skin reddish and her voice unsettling.
"Ah. Yes." Dr. Kael immediately alerted security while also sending a distress message to the Head Doctor. He noticed the baby staring at the female doctor before returning to his playing.
***
Deep underground, Head Doctor Gerard was kneeling before a titan made of gold. His own body was also tainted with gold, and he was barely breathing.
His Talent Energy was circulating at high speed to reduce the effects, but it was getting worse every passing second.
"So, the boy's origin is unknown!" The man's voice was strangely low but carried power that bent everything around it.
"Yes. I did some digging and have an inkling of where he came from. But it seemed absurd, so I kept it to myself," Head Doctor said.
"Tell me then!"
"I thought he was just an abandoned bastard child, but Mama Thorne and I now believe he's someone important. He might be a stolen child from high-ranking people. But after he spoke to me, I'm very sure he escaped from wherever his origin was. He's very defensive and only spoke after the attack, which made me understand—he realized the only way to be safe was to reveal himself to me."
"Hmm. Perhaps the attack was targeting him."
"I came to that conclusion too. Though this isn't the first time this facility has been targeted, the fact that the baby has been here for months and this happened made me think along those lines. I was even inclined to use Time Tracer, but the cost just wasn't worth it."
The golden Titan leaned back. His face shifted as he looked elsewhere, his gaze passing through the layers of construction until it reached the tube where Eiran was.
Eiran reacted immediately. An excited baby chapping escaped his mouth, his hands spread, and he made a sound that tried to mimic the roar of strength that powerful people make.
"Interesting brat. He senses me well. Even plays with me. But that's him as a baby, not as a hyperintelligent infant!" The titan couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.
Dr. Gerard's attention was drawn to his communicator. "He spoke with Kael and warned him about Miranda."
***
Dr. Kael and Dr. Miranda were startled as a golden glow appeared behind them in a flash. Head Doctor stood there, his body fully transformed to gold, his every movement creating golden fists that floated around. A transparent orb drifted nearby, catching the gold dust.
"Head Doctor!" they called in unison. He nodded at them. Eiran slammed against the glass tube and stared at the golden man, laughing as if he had seen a toy.
By now, Dr. Gerard could tell whether the boy was being active or if it was just normal infant behavior. His hand moved quickly and touched Miranda. With no fanfare, she collapsed before being enveloped in a transparent bubble.
Head Doctor frowned as the bubble rippled and blood seeped from her nose. Her skin became red before she calmed down as if she were asleep.
The blood was isolated, and he stored it in a compartment before sending it to another facility.
"Tell him everything he asks you."
"Yes, sir."
The Head Doctor then left immediately. He needed to heal from the gold transformation and also prepare for the baby's departure. He sighed—it was no wonder his father had gotten interested in the baby and changed the whole plan Head Doctor had made.
*Things have gotten complicated!*
Eiran played, fell asleep, then woke up. Dr. Kael spoke to him from time to time, and from his memory recollection, Eiran understood what had happened.
"Hello!" he spoke slowly, not wanting to scare the doctor. The man appeared composed this time and smiled. "Apologies once again. I've had bad experiences with morphers before!"
"It's alright. Everyone gets shocked when I speak."
"Hehe. Head Doctor said I should answer all your questions!"
"Thank you. What are Talent Categories?"
Dr. Kael pulled a chair and sat before the pod, sighing. "We know little about them. But what we do know has allowed us to grow faster."
He contemplated where he should start. "Well, you know that 40% of humanity has the potential to have a talent. A Talent is a specific ability that the awakened can use. It's like an arm or leg to them. There are different types of talents, and even more are being discovered. Categories are groups that each talent can be placed in, regardless of what they do."
Eiran was thoughtful as the man continued to explain.
"We know of 11 Categories, and 6 of them are called Origins. Origins are said to influence all talents one way or another, even weakly. Those who want to master their talent move through Phases—they must master the origins."
"Understanding Origin Categories is a bit complicated because there are specific Talents that solely fall under them. But let me just list the Categories we've documented. They are..."
Power, Enhance, Elemental, Invoke, Shift, Control, Alterborne, Force, Psychic, Warp, Creation.
Eiran repeated the names in his mind and waited for the explanation. He wondered what category his talent fell under.
"Power is about raw strength of the body, mind, and soul. They grow overall even without training, but with the right techniques and arts, they become something beyond understanding. The gold transformation is an example of one."
Eiran had questions. "If it's only about raw power, what causes the gold to be produced? Shouldn't he just be a giant?"
"Yes. But have you forgotten about the 6 Origin Categories? They influence all talents, which creates variability in said talent. Power is raw strength, but that comes with Force, and force can be molded into energy. Depending on the art or techniques one uses, they get to have some extras. Like I said, it gets a bit complicated."
Eiran commented, "Force is an Origin category. I understand."
"Enhance is about augmentation of the body. Talents under this category come predisposed to augment some part of their body. Let's say Enlargement, Mental Processing Power, or augmenting immunity. But another aspect of Enhance is that some can Enhance others. Like me—I don't have healing power, but my Talent allows me to enhance body immunity, body growth, or if a healer is healing, I can enhance that."
"I see."
"Elemental is about creating and controlling elements of the world. Mostly referred to as fire, earth, wind, but it extends to almost all elements that define our world—storm, cloud, plant, etc."
"Creation and Control are other Origin Categories," Eiran commented.
"Yes. Invoke is tricky, but do you know what magic is?"
Eiran had never heard the word and answered no.
"Invoke category is special. The Talents that fall here may have special powers, but they can't use them directly. As an Enhancer, I can use my ability any time, but an Invoker has to prepare something, do some wording, as if they're programming a computer before they achieve their desired outcome."
"That take time, I guess . What if someone attacks faster with their talent?" Eiran asked curiously.
"That might sound like a delay, but what makes them amazing is that they can invoke more power than normal talent users. They can also easily make someone else use part of their power. Not to mention they're versatile. Invokers are sought after around the world."
The first thing that came to Eiran's mind was the man who had created a design using the venom in his tube, allowing the venom to seep without damaging the glass.